Combination game cart and chair



Jan. 15, 1963 c. E. ZINNEMAN 3,073,614

' COMBINATION GAME CART AND CHAIR Filed Oct. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY ,gw,

ATTORNEY Jan. 15, 1963 c. E. ZINNEMAN 3,073,514

COMBINATION GAME CART AND CHAIR Filed Oct. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYfi United States Patent ()fiice 3,073,614 Patented Jan. 15, 1963 3,073,614 COMBINATION GAIVIE CART AND CHAIR Carl E. Zinnernan, 570 N. Franklin St., Hanover, Pa. Filed Oct. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 62,221 4 Claims. (Cl. 280-40) This invention relates to a dead game transporting cart and more particularly, it concerns a combination game cart and chair which is foldable into an extremely small space to facilitate its being carried, for example, in a small back pack. Although the invention has particular utility as such a combination game cart and chair, it is to be understood that it may be used for other purposes such as a lightweight boat carrier, an outboard motor carrier, a golf club carrier and as a carrier of general utility especially desirable by sportsmen because of its light weight and compactness. I

This application is related to my earlier co-pending application, Serial No. 834,097, filed on August 17, 1959, now abandoned.

The desirability of a combined game cart and chair is acutely realized by hunters of deer or other large game which inhabit deep woods or other places accessible only on foot to the average sportsman. It goes without saying that the problem of dragging a dead deer or other animal of comparable size, which may weigh as much as 200 lbs. or more, many miles over rough terrain is a deterrent to many hunters. Likewise, under many conditions, a hunter must sit on a perch for many hours without moving in the proximity of a deer trail in readiness to get a shot at a deer within reasonable range. Although stumps, rocks and other such natural devices usually sufiice as perches these can be quite cold, particularly in northern climates, and therefore are undesirable.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a combined game cart and chair which may be easily transformed from a compact package into a chair if desired or a game cart or vice versa without the use of any tools and without requiring any particular mechanical skill.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined deer cart and chair which is extremely light in weight and of such proportions when folded so as to be carried on the back of a person in a knapsack or the like.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and unique game cart of the type referred to which is extremely light in weight, compact and useful as a general purpose carrier to sportsmen for transporting heavy objects over terrain which is accessible over land only by foot.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description is given by way of illustration only since it will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this description that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of this invention.

' In general, the aforementioned objects are achieved by a provision of an articulated main frame member of generally rectangular configuration supported on detachable wheels through a collapsible strut arrangement. The main frame includes three sections hinged together in such a manner as to permit their being arranged in alignment for use as a cart, with the central portion generally horizontal and one of the other sections being raised vertically to simulate the seat and back of a chair respectively, or collapsible upon one another to facilitate insertion into a pack adapted to be carried on a persons back.

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the invention ready for use as a cart;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross section in elevation taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View of one of the joint structures of the frame of the carrier;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of another joint structure in the main frame;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation showing the structure of the present invention ready for use as a chair;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the connection of a strut member to support the seat of the chair illustrated in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the combined game carrier and chair in its collapsed position ready for insertion into a carrying pack.

Referring now to the drawings for a more detailed description of the present invention, it will be seen that the cart as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in its assembled condition includes a main frame 10 substantially rectangular in overall outline. This main frame member is made up of three connecting sections, 11, 12, and 13, each of which is of substantially equal longitudinal extent. The two end portions 11 and 13 are generally U-shaped, while the center portion 12 comprises spaced parallel hollow tubular members which are braced at one end by a cross member 14. The cross member is attached to the side portions of the member 12 by welding or other convenient means. The end portion 11 of the main frame is hingedly connected to the center portion 12 by a pair of identical hinges 15, which are shown in detail in FIG. 3. It should be noted that the section 11 will therefore hinge about the section 12 so as to fold toward the upper surface as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. The opposite or wheel supported end 13 of the main frame 10 is also hingedly connected to the center portion 12, but in such manner that it will fold against the opposite side of the center portion 12. Referring to FIG. 2, if the section 13 were shown in folded position there, it would lie on the opposite side of section 12 from the dotted line showing of the folded position of the member 11. Again, identical hinges 16 are provided on opposite sides of the members to be joined and the particular hinge structure is shown in detail in FIG. 3A. The difference between the two hinge structures as shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A is that the hinge 16 utilizes an elongated rod member 17 for a pintle, and which member also serves as a support for one pair of the wheel struts as will be described hereinafter. It will be noted that both hinges 15 and 16 are provided with apertures which are aligned in the assembled position of a device in order that they may receive a pin to lock them in the assembled position. Such a locking pin member is shown at It; in FIGS. 3 and 3A. Because of the direction in which the member 11 is hinged to the member 12, it is necessary to employ the locking pin 18 in order that the body portion will maintain its assembled position when a load is placed on its upper surface. Quite, the reverse is true of the connection be tween the members 13 and 12 because the direction of hinging is such that the application of a load to the uppersurface of the carrier will result in holding the members 3 body of a deer or other dead game when used as a cart or, the weight of a person when used as a chair.

Also it will be noted that a generally U-shaped bracket 21 is pivotally attached at the ends of its legs to a transverse rod 22 extending across the legs of the frame section 13 near the closed end thereof. When tilted forwardly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the bracket 21 serves to extend the length of the frame as well as to provide a foot at the forward end thereof to prevent a load from sliding forwardly.

Referring now to the collapsible wheel strut assembly, again as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be noted that a first pair of forwardly depending angular struts 23 are pivoted at one end on the rod 17 which forms the pintle of hinge 16, the strut members 23 engaging at their other ends an axle 24. Depending downwardly from the transverse rod 22 adjacent each of the legs of the frame section 13 are a second pair of tubular struts 25. The struts 25 also have apertures at their lower end for receiving the axle 24 and since the ends of both the struts 23 and 25 are retained against longitudinal movement, they coact to maintain the axle rigidly positioned beneath the frame 10. Wheels 26 are received on the ends of the axle 24 and are provided with a radially disposed spring biased pin 27 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 for engagement in a peripheral groove on the axle (not shown) to detachably secure the wheels rotatably on the ends of the axle.

The use of the game cart illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a chair is illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings. As will be noted, the organization of the wheels 26, the struts 23 and 25 remain substantially the same. The pin 18 however is removed from the hinge 16 so that the front section 13 is permitted to drop forwardly and downwardly. A third tubular strut 28 pivotally attached to the axle 24 and having its upper end or end remote from the axle formed with a concave portion 29 is swung about to engage the central portion of the cross member 14 welded to the frame center section 12 as aforementioned. The strut 28 carries at its upper end a wire clip 30 engageable in an aperture 31 formed in the member 14 to maintain the strut 28 in proper supporting engagement with the cross member 14. When not in use, such as when the structure is used as a cart as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the strut 28 is secured by the engagement of a spring 32 attached permanently to the rod 17 and engageable with the clip 30. With the strut 28 thus in place, it will be noted that the rearward portion of the central frame section 12 is supported on the wheel axle 24 and that the front end thereof is supported on the downwardly positioned front frame section 13, the lower end of which is in engagement with the ground at a point spaced from the axle to provide the necessary stability.

To complete the chair structure the pin 18 is also removed from the hinge and the frame section 11 pivoted upwardly to approximately 90 degrees with the central frame section 12. A clip 33 is provided on each side of the section 11 for engagement in apertures (not shown) in the central frame section 12 to maintain the perpendicular position of the section 11 to function as a chair back or if desired in some instances, to provide a prop for a rifle, the latter situation applying when the user straddles the seat facing the upstanding section 11.

The folded or collapsed position of the respective parts of the combined cart and chair of this invention are illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings. To achieve this condition starting, for example, from the cart as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first step in the folding procedure is to remove the wheels 26 by merely pulling on the pins 27 and sliding the wheels axially off of the axles and then also removing the lower end of the angular struts 23 off the end of the axles. When this has been done, it will be appreciated that the axle positioning no longer retains its stability and accordingly, the axle on tubular strut members 25 may be pivoted up under the section 13. The hinge pins 18 are then removed from the hinge 16 and the section 12 pivoted under the section 13 in the manner illustrated. Finally, the pin 18 is removed from the hinge 15 and the section 11 folded over the section 12. In the position shown in FIG. 6, the folded sections have been inverted and the wheels placed thereover ready for insertion into a pack or the like.

From the description given with respect to converting the cart to the cart illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the chair illustrated in FIG. 4 or the collapsed condition illustrated in FIG. 6, it is deemed that one skilled in the art would have no difficulty in proceeding from the collapsed position of FIG. 6 to either the chair of FIG. 4 or the cart of FIG. 1 and accordingly no further description will be given herein.

In use as a combined game cart and chair, a hunter places the collapsed chair in a knapsack and carries it with him on his back. When he reaches the spot in the woods where he desires to set up his perch to await the approach of an unwary deer or other game, he merely removes the collapsed structure from the knapsack and sets it up as the chair illustrated in FIG. 4. After having killed his game which may be a deer or other animal such as a moose or the like he converts the structure into the cart illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, straps the dead game thereto and merely pulls the loaded cart out of the woods.

It will be appreciated that the cart structure of this invention may be used for many other purposes such as for example the hauling of firewood to the hunters camp or, if used for fishing, the fishermans supplies may be transported on the cart. Also, the cart may be used to transport a lightboat such as a canoe or duck boat into the point of use, or likewise, it may be used to cart an outboard motor. Because of its light weight and transportability the cart of this invention may also be used to carry golf clubs, the golf bag being merely strapped to the cart.

Thus, it will be seen by this invention that an extremely effective combined cart and chair is provided which is light in weight and fully collapsible to extremely compact size so that hand carrying thereof is greatly facilitated. Since many variations of this invention are possible, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only and not limiting and that the true spirit and scope of this invention is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A combination game cart and chair comprising: a generally rectangular, articulated frame including a center section having a transverse member connecting a pair of parallel side members at one end thereof, and a pair of end sections, the end section remote from said central section transverse member being carried on wheels; hinge means connecting said sections for pivotal movement from an aligned position to a collapsed position wherein said end sections overlie opposite sides of said center section; a wheel supporting axle; collapsible means supporting said axle below the forward end of said wheel carried end section; and a strut pivoted from one end on said axle, said strut being adjustable from an inoperative position when said frame sections are aligned for use as a cart to an operative position with its free end in engagement with said transverse memberto support said center section for use as a chair.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 including a load supporting panel on said center section.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 including means for releasably locking the end section adjacent said transverse member in a position substantially perpendicular to said center section.

4. A combination game cart and chair comprising: a

three-section lightweight tubular frame having the center second pairs of strut members pivotally supported at one end on one of said outer sections at points spaced longitudinally thereof, the opposite ends of said struts being connected to said axle to define V-shaped strut structure extending from said frame; a pair of wheels detachably, rotatably secured to opposite ends of said axle; and a third strut member also pivotally connected at oneend to said axle, the opposite end thereof being detachably engageable to one end of said center section to support it for use as a chair.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jones Feb. 24, 1953 Westcamp July 7, 1953 Gravatt Jan. 18, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS France Nov. 28, 1951 Germany July 14, 1952 Great Britain Aug. 13, 1952. 

1. A COMBINATION GAME CART AND CHAIR COMPRISING: A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR, ARTICULATED FRAME INCLUDING A CENTER SECTION HAVING A TRANSVERSE MEMBER CONNECTING A PAIR OF PARALLEL SIDE MEMBERS AT ONE END THEREOF, AND A PAIR OF END SECTIONS, THE END SECTION REMOTE FROM SAID CENTRAL SECTION TRANSVERSE MEMBER BEING CARRIED ON WHEELS; HINGE MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECTIONS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT FROM AN ALIGNED POSITION TO A COLLAPSED POSITION WHEREIN SAID END SECTIONS OVERLIE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CENTER SECTION; A WHEEL SUPPORTING AXLE; COLLAPSIBLE MEANS SUPPORTING SAID AXLE BELOW THE FORWARD END OF SAID WHEEL CARRIED END SECTION; AND A STRUT PIVOTED FROM ONE END ON SAID AXLE, SAID STRUT BEING ADJUSTABLE FROM AN INOPERATIVE POSITION WHEN SAID FRAME SECTIONS ARE ALIGNED FOR USE AS A CART TO 